A firm has been fined after a young worker died when a ride-on lawnmower fell on top of him in a North Yorkshire pond.
Kamil Grygieniec, 23, was found face down in the water after cutting grass on a bank in North Stainley, near Ripon, in October 2021.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found his employer, MHS Countryside Management Limited, had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment – and that a key safety device had been removed from the machine.
The company, based in Bishop Auckland, admitted breaching health and safety law and was fined nearly £40,000 at York Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Investigators said the mower’s roll-over protection system – designed to protect operators if a machine tips over – had been taken off, despite the work being carried out on uneven ground beside water.
The HSE described the device as a “critical safety feature”, particularly when operating machinery on slopes.
An HSE spokesperson added: “Suitable risk assessment is essential when operating ride-on machinery, particularly while doing so on slopes or near water.
“Employers must ensure equipment is appropriate for the terrain and fitted with necessary safety features to protect operators.”
Mr Grygieniec, from Northallerton, was on his final day with the company and due to start a new job the following week.
A post-mortem examination found he suffered severe head injuries caused by contact with the mower’s blades.
After the hearing, Kamil’s mother and father said: “The pain I feel every day since that tragedy is unimaginable, I do not wish that on anybody. That day I lost part of me.
“I will never be able to hug him, tell him how much I love him. I will never receive flowers from him, will never meet him wife or his children. Kamil was my physical and mental support.
“That day was his last day at that workplace and it happened to be the last day of his short life.
“I don’t know what life holds for the future for me, but what I am certain of is it will not be as full or as happy now that Kamil has gone from our lives.
“What makes it even worse, I believe his death could have been prevented and should never have happened.”
